Now Infused with Audio Interactivity

Ok - there may look like there is mostly data related
changes going on here - but it is all for a good cause
toward what ProZeuxis always intended to be. That is,
a toolbox where the VJ can plug visual nodes together
in interesting ways with tools that feed these nodes with
input from the performance space (such as audio and
motion tracking). Until now - we did not have this
"pluggin/linking" capability, to make the visuals
performance driven in any capacity.

Guess what? - now we do. Lets just run down the major
development milestones achieved this week, and what
is and is not planned for the Nov 10 Demo:

Node-To-Node Linking (partially complete)
Last round - I implemented the menus and interactions
that allow linking between a midi controller and a
parameter node. This has been taken a step further,
as has always been the intent, to allow a user to link
one parameter node to another directly. This interaction
is working but there are some important points to note:

- Linking between nodes is only implemented for boolean
values at this current time - this was the proof of concept.
Number, point. color data still needs to be worked out

- The menu interaction to link one parameter to another
is done by dragging an icon from the PZNode menu
and dropping it on the icon of a compatible node

- Other ways to create a node-to-node link through the
param panel box and the ability to manage these links
using the [L] icon menu is still yet to be worked on,
and at this point, will not be included for Nov10, but
may still find its way into the final.

Metronome Data Node Created
- A Data providing node called "MetroGnome" was created
for the purpose of providing a Triggering type of boolean
data that can be linked to other nodes (such as enable/
disabling a node, triggering to create a fish, etc)

- The MetroGnome comes with 2 independently configurable
"Beat Instance" subnodes. Each one can have its own BPM
value set by a slider control.

- As a MetroGnome Beat ticks, an output value toggles back
and fourth. This is the boolean value that can be plugged into
visuals or other data nodes that would accept this type of
value.

- One beat's value can even be plugged into the second beat's
enable/disable switch for some interesting results. IE: Beat 1
is set at 220 bmp, and Beat 2 is set at 15 bpm. By plugging
Beat 2 into the enable switch of beat one - then plugging
Beat 1into the "create fish trigger", we quickly pop out a
burst of about 10 fish every 4 seconds.

- The creation of this node proved to be good testing and
preparation for another type of data providing node
such as an audio input.

Sonia Audio
For my first AUDIO related node, I utilized the LiveInput
capabilities of the library "Sonia" (Thus the node name).

- My first audio input node works a whole lot like the
MetroGnome node. It has the same basic structure
that includes an enable/disable switch, a slider value,
and an output trigger value. Except in Sonia, out slider
value controls a Volume Threshold that the live input
is listening for rather than setting a bpm.

- By creating a Sonia Audio node and setting a threshold
value for a LiveInput instance, a user can then Link the
Input Listener trigger to any boolean param node much
like we did with the MetroGnome beat.

- As a first test, I picked on the Create Fish Trigger once
again. Now a new fish is created by making sound into the
microphone. The sensitivity at which this will occur can be
controlled by the Volume Threshold slider. This all seemed
to work with much success (sorry this success happened
a lot later than would have been possible to document with
a demo video)

Nov 10 Demo
So now the fun part comes in. I beleive I have enough now
to put together a more robust type of demo. The only other
thing that I may try to add in terms of data interaction before
locking things down for Nov 10 will be the ability to pass other
values through node linking so I can output the Volume value
as a number as well as the Boolean from my new SoniaAudio
node.

- Other than this change, I will work on one or two new visuals
to add to the set that will best exploit this new capability.
I was looking at a Grid type visual that looks like flashing LED's.
The Grid could change in composition by being linked into the
audio detection node.

- With this new capability and visuals, I will take the system into
a longer space (such as a garage) and captured footage of a
filmed demostration "in the round" so to speak. I will have a
friend asssist me with the filming and executing of this new
demo.

Until then ~AAron